This invention relates to an ink cartridge. More particularly, the invention relates to an ink cartridge forming part of a print cartridge to be used in an instantaneous print digital camera.
Digital cameras are becoming increasingly popular with consumers for recording images. However, a problem exists with such digital cameras in that, to obtain a hard copy of a print of an image, the digital camera needs to be connected to a computer for printing out the print. The applicant has, in its co-pending U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 09/112,783 filed Jul. 10, 1998 and entitled xe2x80x9cInk and media cartridge with axial ink reservoirsxe2x80x9d, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,165 proposed a replaceable cartridge for such digital cameras.
The digital camera makes use of a page width printhead. By xe2x80x9cpage widthxe2x80x9d is meant that the printhead prints one line at a time on the print media without traversing the print media, or rastering, as the print media moves past the printhead.
The cartridge previously disclosed in the applicant""s above co-pending U.S. application makes use of an ink cartridge where the reservoirs contain a sponge into which the inks are absorbed.
It is now proposed to provide an ink cartridge with reservoirs containing only ink. In other words, the ink is not absorbed into a sponge but is merely charged into the ink reservoir itself. It is necessary to inhibit drying out of the ink and contamination of the ink while the ink is contained in the reservoirs of the ink cartridge.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink cartridge for an ink jet print cartridge for use with an ink jet printhead, a mating formation for the ink jet printhead being engageable with the ink cartridge to supply the ink jet printhead with ink, the ink cartridge comprising
a container defining a number of reservoirs, inks of different colors being receivable in respective reservoirs, the container being mountable within a housing of the print cartridge and the container being shaped so that a roll supply of print media can be positioned about the container;
a number of seal moldings, one seal molding being positioned at a first end of each reservoir, each seal molding being breached, in use, by the mating formation for facilitating a flow of ink from the container to the printhead; and
a seal arrangement positioned at an opposed second end of the container, the seal arrangement comprising a number of pellets of a hydrophobic, moldable material received in each respective reservoir, each pellet being of a consistency to retain its shape as each pellet moves towards said first end of its respective reservoir as ink is withdrawn from its respective reservoir, in use.
Each seal molding may be of an elastomeric material that is configured so that said mating formation is insertable through the seal molding to allow ink flow to the printhead. Each seal molding may be hydrophobic.
Each pellet may be self lubricating to be slidable relative to its associated reservoir. The moldable material may be a gelatinous material.
The gelatinous material may be a compound of a polymer and a hydrocarbon which is insertable in a fluent state, when heated, into each of the reservoirs, the material being settable to a gel consistency when it cools.
The polymer may be a copolymer and may be a thermoplastic rubber.
The hydrocarbon may be a mineral oil, more particularly, a white mineral oil.
The second end of each reservoir having the seal arrangement may be closed off by an end cap, the end cap being configured to maintain atmospheric pressure between the seal arrangement and the end cap to facilitate movement of the pellets towards the first end of the container as ink is withdrawn from the container. For this purpose, the end cap may have a plurality of openings, one in fluid communication with each reservoir.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink jet print cartridge for an ink jet printhead, the ink jet print cartridge being engageable with a mating formation for the ink jet printhead to supply the ink jet printhead with ink, the ink jet print cartridge comprising
a housing;
a supply roll of print media positioned in the housing;
a roller feed assembly that is mounted in the housing to feed the print media from the supply roll, the roller feed assembly being driveable externally of the housing; and
an ink cartridge that is receivable in the housing, the ink cartridge comprising
a container defining a number of reservoirs, inks of different colors being receivable in respective reservoirs, the container being mounted within the housing with the supply roll of print media being rotatably positioned about the container;
a number of seal moldings, one seal molding being positioned at a first end of each reservoir, each seal molding being configured to be breached, in use, by the mating formation for facilitating a flow of ink from the container to the printhead; and
a seal arrangement positioned at an opposed second end of the container, the seal arrangement comprising a number of pellets of a hydrophobic, moldable material, one pellet being received in each respective reservoir, each pellet being of a consistency to retain its shape as each pellet moves towards said first end of the container as ink is withdrawn from its respective reservoir, in use.